


The Supposed Death of a Partner

by LadyEunhae



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Accidental Marriage, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Identity Reveal, Kissing, Minor Spoilers, No Character Death, Not Beta Read, Plagg is a Little Shit (Miraculous Ladybug), Sort Of, TV Special: Miraculous World: New York
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:08:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27400210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyEunhae/pseuds/LadyEunhae
Summary: Adrien is still coming to terms with what happened in New York, but he soon finds himself distracted by Marinette. Why is she crying about Cat Noir?
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 26
Kudos: 277





	The Supposed Death of a Partner

Adrien watched the news as Ladybug threw her lucky charm in the air and repaired the damage that had been wrought in Paris. She looked as perfect as always. She was a bastion of strength and courage; there were no visible signs that his absence had caused her any distress. Adrien bit his lip and blinked back the tears that suddenly filled his eyes. 

It had been a week since he returned to Paris alone, a five days since His Lady and the American heroes saved the day, and two days since he finally admitted to Kagami that a relationship between them was not going to work. He hadn’t explained the reason, he wasn’t sure he knew the reason himself. It wasn’t like he was holding out for Ladybug anymore. He just felt empty at the thought of perusing a relationship with Kagami right now. Kagami had taken it in stride, almost as if she had known it was coming. Adrien thought she might know something he didn’t, but he didn’t want to ask.

The battle of New York had been a tough fight and they almost lost when the moon crashed into the earth at the hands of Majestia, but somehow Ladybug had managed to pull through. He knew she always would. It had taken two days and a dozen or so transformations before something had worked. He hated that he didn’t know what that something was. Apparently, the details of Ladybug’s brilliant plans were not always available if one was just a civilian. 

He had suspected for a while that his lady didn’t need him to save the day, and now he could see it as clear as day. He refused to cry, though. He wasn’t the right fit to be her partner, he probably never had been. She would know what to do. She could surely choose a better Cat Noir, now that she had the chance to do so herself. She could find someone that she trusted.

Adrien reached into his pocket and thumbed the remote she had given him. It filled him with the bitter memories of his failure, but it also reminded him that he had once fought beside the most wonderful girl who ever lived. It was all he had left. 

There was no danger of accidentally setting off the little cat toy that the remote controlled. Adrien had removed the batteries before he had landed back in Paris and Ladybug had probably already disposed of the cat toy. No, she wasn’t like that. She might have kept it as a memento. Perhaps she was even keeping as a way for him to return if he so wished. She would not have destroyed it out of spite, no matter how angry at him she might have been.

Adrien released a puff of air, not even big enough to be called a sigh. He couldn’t let his classmates see his distress. He needed to find somewhere isolated to pull himself together before classes resumed. He made his way into one of the empty classrooms that he used to use to transform before a battle. He would be able to call on one of his many excuses to explain his late return to class if class started before he could compose himself. For now, he needed some air.

Thinking of fresh air brought his attention to the slight gust that burst out from under the door just as he put his hand on the doorknob. He went through the motion to open the door anyway. He did not fully register any of the possible reasons for the draft. He wasn’t in a thinking mood.

Upon opening the door, Adrien was met with the round eyes of one Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Her face was flushed and she was shaking. Adrien was not unfamiliar with a blushing Marinette, but this was different. She looked like she was ready to explode from some pent up emotion. In fact, she did explode into sobs. Adrien could see her eyes fill with tears just before she buried her face into her hands. She hunched over as tremors overtook her petite frame. 

Adrien immediately forgot his own distress and went into protect the princess mode. She looked like she was mourning the death of a loved one. This anguish was extreme. He needed to do something before Hawkmoth had a chance to regroup and send out a new akuma to possess his dear friend.

“Marinette! What’s wrong? What happened?” He rushed to her side. He helped her over to one of the bench seats because she seemed to have lost the strength to stand. She didn’t answer right away. She just pushed her face into his chest and wept. He allowed himself a moment to be impressed that her usual embarrassment didn’t seem to be present at the moment before wrapping his arms around her. He supposed that she could hardly have room for embarrassment with whatever sorrow was filling her.

He did nothing but hold her for several minutes, just giving her the space she needed emotionally while providing the proximity she needed physically. When her sobs turned into sniffles, he asked the question again, “What happened Marinette?” He spoke gently, almost a whisper.

“He’s g-gone” she replied with a gravelly voice. So it was a death then. When she didn’t continue, Adrien felt compelled to fill the silence. “I’m sorry for your loss” he said. What can one do for a friend who suffered this kind of a blow? “Who was he?” He continued to prod, hoping to help her work through the grief. “Cat Noir is gone” she whimpered. 

Adrien pulled back in surprise. He looked into the face of his grieving friend, wondering how she knew that the Cat Noir she knew would never return. “I’m sure he’s not dead” he tried to reassure her as a reflex. He didn’t even consider she might ask him how he was so sure. “No, he’s worse than dead. He’s gone and I’ll never find him” Marinette wailed. Suddenly Adrien remembered that Marinette was in love with Cat Noir at one point. He had thought that she had moved on with Luka, but she clearly still had feelings strong enough to cause her great pain at his absence.

Adrien felt the sudden urge to tell her the truth. It didn’t matter to him to keep his identity a secret, and he didn’t expect he would ever be working with Ladybug again. Would Marinette still love him if she knew what had happened? He kind of thought she would. Would she still love him if she found out he was Adrien? It was possible she would. Did he think he could handle that? 

Adrien looked over at his sweet friend, his everyday Ladybug. She was whimpering with her hands covering her face. The thought of loving her and being loved by her warmed his own grieving heart. He wanted to give her the same comfort that she always gave him.

“I was Cat Noir…” he said before he could let fear take over. “Please don’t cry Marinette, I’m right here.” He reached his arm over her shoulders again. Her head pulled up sharply and she locked eyes with him. “I’m not dead or lost. I just quit because I wasn’t worthy to be Cat Noir anymore.” Marinette’s eyes widened a little farther. He guessed that she was processing the fact that he was a coward and a failure, but he knew that she wouldn’t shun him because of that. She would help him to do better, to be better.

He pushed through his own guilt to reassure her that everything would be ok, “Ladybug will find a replacement for me, someone who’s a better partner for her…” Marinette’s eyes grew fiery and she interrupted whatever he planned to say next. “Like hell she will!” Marinette shrieked before throwing her arms around his shoulders and burying her face at the junction of his neck and shoulder. 

Adrien felt his body heat up, both at her proximity and at the confidence she seemed to have in him. He checked himself, because he didn’t want to do the same thing to Marinette as he had done to Kagami, but he found that he didn’t feel empty anymore. He felt full and Marinette was the reason. He wrapped his arms securely around her and enjoyed her comfort even as he felt her tears fall against his shoulder. He knew he could easily fall in love with this girl and he found that he wanted to.

Marinette started to say something, but he couldn’t understand since it was muffled against his own skin. He was almost too distracted by that fact to remember that he should ask her to repeat herself. “What was that?” He asked. She pulled back enough to rest her chin on his shoulder and speak again. “You’re irreplaceable, Kitty” she said softly with a slight tremor in her voice. She was still clinging to him like he was her lifeline.

Adrien knew he could trust her with this secret. He was so happy that he would have someone new to talk to about this. He felt a stab in his heart as he remembered that he wouldn’t be able to talk to Plagg again and he wrapped his arms more tightly around his friend and confidant. Maybe the lifeline thing could go both ways and he and Marinette would save each other.

“So, uh, we should head back to class soon.” Adrien stated matter-of-factly. “Think you’re ready for that?” He pulled away to check if her face was still tear-stained or if there was any obvious redness, but as he made eye contact with her again, the redness that he saw was that of a rising blush. “Eep!” Marinette squeaked and turned her eyes to look elsewhere in embarrassment. “What’s wrong?” Adrien didn’t know what he could have done to embarrass her.

“I forgot you were you.” Marinette sounded almost hysterical as her eyes dart all around the room. “What do you mean…?” Adrien’s throat felt tight as he spoke. Was she rejecting him already? Was there something wrong with him being Adrien? He wasn’t ready for an emotional rollercoaster, but here he was. He tried to catch her eyes again, and when he did, she covered her rosy face with both hands. “Marinette, please. Did I do something wrong?” He knew his voice sounded strained, but he needed the calm acceptance that Marinette had been giving him moments ago, not this nervous avoidance he was getting now.

“Oh God! I was the reason you went to New York at the last minute…” Adrien heard the words, but he couldn’t fathom why that had relevance now. “…but that still doesn’t explain why you didn’t tell me you were going…” Adrien was trying and failing to keep up with where Marinette was going with this. She sat beside him on the plane (however briefly); why would he need to tell her he was going?

Someone cleared their throat nearby, and Adrien turned to reassure whoever it was that he was definitely not causing Marinette distress on purpose. His eyes widened upon discovering the source of the intrusion. “That would be my fault…” a familiar black kwamii stated from his perch on the school desk in front of them. “I just wanted the kid to have some fun for a change, so I convinced him not to tell you.” Plagg looked shamefaced as he admitted his guilt.

Adrien wanted to sweep his small friend up into a hug and never let go, but he stopped because of one small thing that was nagging at him: Plagg shouldn’t be here. “Plagg, why are you here?” Adrien whispered gently. “Shouldn’t you be with Ladybug, or my replacement if she got that far?” Before Plagg had the chance to explain himself, Adrien felt his cheeks covered with petite hands. Marinette turned him to look at her. She waited until she had his undivided attention before she growled, “You. Are. Not. Replaceable.” 

With that, she wrenched her purse open and snatched something out of it. He watched in startled awe as she grabbed a hold of his right hand and shoved a ring onto his finger. It was only when she pulled her hand away that he realized the significance of what had just transpired. There on his hand, for all the world to see, was the silver ring he thought he would never see again. Marinette was Ladybug. She was Ladybug and she had broken down in tears over his absence. 

“You better not leave me again, Cat Noir.” Marinette gave him a warning tone. For Adrien, this was almost too much to handle, so he said the first words that came to mind, “Until death do us part, m’lady.” He stared intensely into her eyes and wished there was something more between them.

“With this ring you do wed and all that blah blah blah” Plagg stated amusedly. “You may now kiss the bride.” He smirked like the cat that had gotten the cream. Marinette, for her part managed to turn an even darker shade of red. “If you must…” she mewled before her eyes went round with surprise, but she didn’t look away. Adrien blinked dumbly as he thought about the implications. “Wait, can I?” He finally asked.

“Do you want to?” Marinette asked robotically. “Yes” he breathed without hesitation. “Well then, k-kiss the b-b-bride.” She stuttered, but the demand was clear. So he did as he was told. Adrien took Marinette’s hand in his own and he squeezed it gently as he leaned forward and planted a soft peck on Marinette’s lips. He felt the tension leave her and she quickly dipped in for a second, longer kiss.

They could have stayed like that for a long time if the bell didn’t ring, startling the two apart. Adrien chuckled at the absurdity of the situation, but even so, he got up and began to lead Marinette to their homeroom. He was never going to let her go again.

**Author's Note:**

> Epilogue:  
> They got a lot of stares from their classmates when they entered the classroom hand in hand. “What is the meaning of this, Agreste?” Alya asked, gesturing to their joined hands. Adrien just shrugged his shoulders and informed her of his new relationship status with Marinette, “So, we’re married now.” Marinette started spluttering and the class broke out in pandemonium, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.


End file.
